A prominent flytipper who operated in Newham, Barking and Rainham has been given extra time in prison.

Patrick Joseph Egan, of Grange Road, Grays, had his prison sentence extended after five piles of waste were found dumped in one month outside businesses across Essex and London.

At Basildon Crown Court on Monday, Egan, 30, pleaded guilty to three charges of illegally dumping waste using a lorry at sites not permitted to accept it, and two charges of knowingly causing the deposit of waste at two other locations.

Egan, who is currently serving time for similar offences which took place in Beckton in Newham, was sentenced to two weeks for each of the five offences, which will be added to his current sentence.

Gordon Starks, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that waste was dumped from a lorry onto an industrial estate in West Thurrock on October 4, 2017. On the same day, the lorry was seen reversing into a water pumping station in Grays, where a witness said they saw waste being dumped.

Egan is already serving a prison sentence for similar offences in Newham. Picture: Environment Agency

Later that day, more of the same type of waste was dumped outside a business in Rainham.

The next day, CCTV cameras caught the lorry dumping more waste outside Barking Power Station, and less than two weeks later, waste was dumped at another industrial estate in Grays. Two days later, Essex Police seized the vehicle, which was carrying waste.

With every dumping, Mr Starks told the court that landlords of the sites had to dispose of the waste at their own expense.

He said: “From photographic evidence it is apparent that significant amounts of waste were illegally deposited. Such acts undermine lawful activities and the regulatory regime.

Environment Agency enforcement team leader, Lesley Robertson, said: “Flytipping is a blight on the countryside. When the amount of waste tipped is this significant, it is not just an eyesore or a huge inconvenience for those whose land have been dumped on, it is waste crime.

“Waste criminals undermine legitimate businesses, often leaving those dumped on to foot the clean-up.

“Mr Egan seems to have had little regard for these people, the public at large or the environment.”